[annielovesbacon]

I have read multiple articles (including PC articles) and I just can't figure out what exactly is different between the two therapy styles. I was wondering if anyone could give examples or some insight into the difference?

[maybeblue]

CBT came first. It was first developed by Aaron Beck and Albert Ellis in I believe the 1960's. It's premise is that negative feelings and unhealthy behaviors are related to irrational thoughts. It's kind of like a triangle, where each of those--thoughts, feelings, behaviors influence each other. The theory is that changing the thoughts tends to be the quickest way to change the other two.

DBT takes some elements of CBT and adds to it mindfulness and distress tolerance skills. DBT tends to take longer and be more intense. You might go to group therapy and individual therapy for example. But it has shown some promise in helping people with borderline personality disorder, which tends to be pretty complicated.

[MRT6211]

DBT is a specific subset of CBT that deals with four parts: emotion regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness, and interpersonal effectiveness. It was developed by Marsha Linehan in the 90s to treat BPD, but can be further extrapolated to other mental illnesses now. Really you focus largely on skills to get through difficult moments/situations in DBT. It’s pretty much all skill-oriented in my experience.

CBT is more broad. It works on the link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. In CBT you really focus on gaining control of your own behaviors and learning how to challenge certain unhealthy thoughts and manage your feelings.

[satsuma]

Just adding to the replies above - I think you could see DBT as 'going on a course' where you have hired a tutor to teach you a specific set of skills and help you become good at them. A bit like learning to drive or learning a language.

CBT as I understand is also very goal-driven, but could be seen as more of a partnership with you and the T working out the problem, and then focussing on a specific solution to the problem.

That's just my idea, my T has explained these therapies to me and I've got a DBT workbook which I find helpful to have at home as a kind of self help book. But I haven't exactly done either of these two therapies. I've done schema therapy, which has elements of both I think, but it's a different therapy.

[annielovesbacon]

Thank you everyone! I think I get it now. From your descriptions I think I do CBT with my therapist. We work a lot on how thoughts influence behaviors, and how to accept feelings and thoughts and accept the fact that we can't change them. We have done some worksheets, and we tried mindfulness (but pretty much abandoned it when I told her it was unhelpful, although she occasionally brings it up), but we don't really do anything regarding "distress tolerance," and I've never been to group therapy (nor has my therapist suggested it). I also don't have BPD.